Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 The PRESIDENT (12:55): Can I thank Minister Symes, who will get, in line with the standing orders, the supplementary and substantive answers from the Minister for Emergency Services for Mr Puglielli.

Georgie Crozier: On a point of order, President, I would ask that my second questions be reviewed. Both questions were not answered by the minister, and I would ask them to be reinstated.

The PRESIDENT: I am happy to review that. I think I did say the first one was answered, but I am happy to review both. I will get back to the chamber by the end of the day.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, I just want to raise with you what I think is a developing and slightly worrying trend, where you were musing or passing an early judgement. I am not trying to be critical here; I am just trying to make question time move smoothly. For example, with the question Ms Crozier asked about the code brown at the Royal Melbourne, you said partway through, passing what I would say is an early judgement, that the question was too detailed. That might be your view, but what we learned is the minister actually had been briefed on this specific matter.

The PRESIDENT: No, I did say I was concerned at the level of detail. I did not say ‘too detailed’.

David Davis: President, what I am putting to you – and it is just for discussion – is that in fact you making that statement cuts time and also changes the tone of the question and inserts a judgement at an early point, which in this case proved to be quite wrong. The minister had actually been briefed on this in detail, and you at that point made a judgement, which is not your role, I would put, at that early point. It might be later, but not at that early point, so I just want you to think about this in future question times.

The PRESIDENT: Mr Davis, that is a fair point, and I will take it into consideration. Because I am leaving I can say this: I do not like a world where as soon as someone questions a Presiding Officer, it is ‘You’re reflecting on the Chair.’ I think that there should be times – it might be me personally, and I can say this because I am on my way out – when it is fair for members to raise a point of order and say, ‘Hey, President, can you think about this or that?’ Because if we have this situation where there is this Grand Pooh-Bah sitting up here that can never, ever be questioned about their rulings, I think that is naff, and that is what it has been for 150 years. So thank you. I will take that into consideration. I think it is actually a fair point. If people want to use this as a ruling for future presidents – and I am not being a smartypants – they should, because I have been here a long time and there have been times when I have thought: why can’t the President, politely and respectfully, be asked to think about the way they go about things? So thank you. I am being 100 per cent genuine.